


Sketches

by tommysinful



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: M/M, Model Zayn, Mutual Pining, Pining Niall, Shy Niall, Teenage Niall, Teenage Zayn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-10
Updated: 2015-09-10
Packaged: 2018-04-20 02:58:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,451
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4770911
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tommysinful/pseuds/tommysinful
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Niall is so enamored with Zayn he begins to draw him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Sketches

A quick glance to the side and he could shape the nose correctly. He swiftly smudged a line here. Glancing back up he could see how the hair on his head was more tousled than usual today, the morning sunlight catching in it making it hues of dark woods and blackened coals.

He looked back down to see how the picture was coming along. And coming along it was.

His tongue poked from the side of his mouth as he tried to get the shading on his small forehead just right, the way half of it was bathed in cool shadow and the other in the warm morning sun. It made his skin glow and look like melted caramel. This is when Niall loved to draw Zayn.

He loved to draw him in the morning. He was so soft and pliable and vulnerable in their first period English class. He sat directly across from Zayn at the massive tables and he protectively covered his work so that no one could see it. He sat there quietly observing Zayn every day either reading or dozing off with his head propped up in his hands or lazily talking to Liam who shared their table and drew him in every facet possible.

It was odd because Niall and Zayn never spoke to each other. It wasn’t that Niall didn’t want to-trust and believe he did-but he was terrified to do so. Zayn never spoke to Niall and the blond never really understood why, there was some type of silent agreement that the two could acknowledge each other but that was about it.

Niall was shy and reserved and he knew that Zayn was as well. The two were considered “outcasts” to most of the student population because they weren’t exceptionally smart or athletic or rich or whatever makes kids popular these days.

Niall only had Harry and Louis as friends and Zayn seemed to only talk to Liam as one. They had acquaintances sure but never made an effort to have more than the one or two they already had.

It would go something like this; either Niall or Zayn would be there first and give a small smile and a curt nod before going about their business. Niall had only ever heard Zayn speak a handful of times that weren’t short sentences or answers to a question when he was called upon. Sometimes Niall forgot that Zayn even had a voice.

The two had been in school together for almost six years now when Niall moved over from Ireland to Bradford Public and from the moment he saw Zayn with his black as night hair and his bright brown eyes fanned by those lashes he was a goner. He was stunned silent by this introverted and brooding looking boy who only spoke when needed but his silence was louder.

He’d say he was crushing on him bad and the funny thing was that he didn’t really know why. Zayn wasn’t exactly talked about other than his good looks but apparently it didn’t faze him or make him egotistical either and Niall admired that.

The only information he got was from Harry or Louis who happened to have a few classes with him saying he was rather reserved but he was intelligent, he was opinionated but open to other ideas and he was very loyal to those he cared for.

Niall wasn’t sure when he started to sketch Zayn-since he wasn’t a very good artist-but one day he was looking at Zayn as he was reading and chewing on his bottom lip with eyebrows furrowed that Niall wanted to keep that look on his face.

The next day he bought a sketchbook and started drawing-the first ones were horrible and he promptly threw them away at the end of the day, one time he even burned this awful profile shot he tried to do-but soon enough his skills were getting better.

At home he’d practice from memory, remembering how his hair was fallen across his forehead or how his stubble was thicker than most days, how his coat hung on his thin frame or maybe the slight chapped skin of his lips. He did this for over a year now since they shared a class the year before and it just so happened that his first class of the day for five days a week starred Zayn Malik directly in front of him.

So he continued to sketch him, they weren’t exactly about to be put in the Louvre anytime soon but they were pretty decent. He only ever showed Harry them-the boy found it by accident-and Harry had been adamant saying that they were spectacular and he should talk to Zayn.

Niall was already pale and nervous on a daily basis; he didn’t need any help in that department. So he kept his sketches and his own personal model to himself. He loved Zayn in the morning, which was his favorite-and now only-time to see him.

Today he had on these lovely thick rimmed glasses that he probably didn’t even need and his t-shirt had a wide neck so that Niall could see the peaking of tattoos on his collarbones and chest. He quickly used the side of his pencil to shade in what looked like wings. His arms were bent slightly as he read a book-Great Expectations Niall noticed-and Niall was busy letting his big blue orbs dance across Zayn’s features and the dips of his cheeks to put them down on paper.

His entire book was filled with Zayn like this. That’s really all he ever drew. Zayn half asleep with a small smirk on his face, an actual smile as rare as that was listening to Liam tell a story that was actually boring but Zayn was nice enough to fake it, him with his hair actually gelled up into a quaff-the blond streak period was a nice time for Niall-and even some when their eyes would meet for a split second and Niall’s face would duck down warm from blushing.

They didn’t meet each other’s gazes very often but when it did occur Niall turned red. The one time he saw Zayn give this crooked grin and sort of shake his head before returning back to another book-Zayn went through three books a week it seemed-and Niall wondered what he was thinking.

He was always wondering what Zayn was thinking actually. He wondered what made that boy tick. He wondered what Zayn did outside of school and what his personality was actually like behind closed doors. He wondered if he was a good kisser and had he ever had sex before. Niall usually wasn’t very dirty minded but testosterone and lust was becoming stronger every day and to be basically obsessed with someone who looked like they were made by the Gods amplified it.

But the lust and want aside he wanted to know Zayn. Wanted to know his inner workings and get into his head. They’d never even spoke more than three words to each other (“Hi.” “You alright?”) and that was really it but Niall wanted more. He figured Zayn to be quite like himself, constantly in your head and analyzing things and rather provisional about people.

He noticed that Zayn did that just as he did, he people watched, tried to figure them out before their voices and false words painted a portrait of themselves that was overly exaggerated and narcissistic. Niall figured him and Zayn had more in common than each other realized. He knew Zayn was a bookworm-so was he-he was also an artist-Niall tried to be-he was shy but friendly and a loyal person-Niall was that to a heightened degree-and Niall just wanted him.

Maybe not even sexually but to him Zayn was an enigma, something you had to catch and dissect and understand in order to have, if not as someone to be with but someone to be friends with.

But Niall was too much of a chicken shit to ever make a move, he was never confident and why should he pretend he was now? He’d just go about his days drawing and sketching the pretty young man across from him who had an older feel to his aura and slightly smelled of tobacco and vanilla.

He was busy shaping the curve of Zayn’s top lip when the teacher finally came in and the class began. He regretfully put his sketchbook away and looking back up he saw Zayn staring dead at him. Niall blushed and breathed out a heavy breath through his nose, Zayn gave him a half smile and turned to face the class.

What was that all about?

He kept stealing glances at the dark skinned boy who had been encompassing his brain since he was twelve years old and he made a mental note to remember this viewpoint of his face. His jaw line was sharp and angled so that you could see his Adam’s apple move delicately under his skin, the veins in his neck were stretched up the column of his throat and as Niall’s eyes raked upwards he could see the second hole piercing in his ear with no stud in it. He had a small hoop in the first one.

He took notice of the way his sideburns blended seamlessly into his stubble-Niall knew it was three day old stubble- and how the dark hair would perfectly frame his petal pink lips. The bottom one being the bigger of the pair and Niall wondered what they tasted like. He kept watching and focused on his eyebrows which most people would consider to be unruly and too much but somehow they fit Zayn, they were more robust and manlier than any other teenage boy’s-except Liam, he had caterpillars on his face but he was cute enough to pull them off-and he enjoyed how the hair would start to dissipate near the ends.

He saw the straight line of his nose and how his nostrils would flare ever so slightly as he inhaled while his eyes remained steadfast on the teacher in front droning on about The Great Gatsby or something. He went back to looking at his mouth because he saw the tiniest bit of tongue poke out and moisten his lips leaving them a bit slick and shiny and Niall really wanted to know what he tasted like now.

The room was getting warmer as he continued to now blatantly stare at Zayn and he’d be lying if he said his trousers weren’t getting a bit too tight. He wasn’t thinking anything remotely sexual like Zayn bending him over the desk or Niall being on his knees finally servicing the boy he more than fancied but he was thinking about those lips. He figured Zayn to be a passionate kisser, the kind that kissed deep and hard and let his body do the talking where words and phrases could not. He just really wanted to fucking kiss him right now and he didn’t even know the basics about this boy.

What had Niall honestly gotten himself into?

His eyes moved upwards to Zayn’s hair that he felt probably was softer and smoother than silk, it was so inky black it almost looked dyed like his own hair-he was blond-but it couldn’t have been. Zayn was all natural and Niall loved it, his skin was the smoothest color of spice and his hair was such a dark contrast to it and…everything about Zayn just captured Niall’s attention.

Probably why he was still sketching this boy for over a year and they’d never even had a conversation.

He was letting his eyes follow the many directions of his hair and he only realized said hair was moving when Zayn’s head turned and big brown eyes were staring directly at him again. Niall was pretty sure all the blood in his body rushed to his face and he quickly shot his gaze down to barely peak through his blond fringe. Zayn was still staring at him but it wasn’t a hardened look, it was open and interested and maybe even a little confused almost.

He saw that Zayn smirked again but turned back to face the teacher who was still talking. Niall didn’t lift his head for the rest of class; he opted for working on the latest sketch of Zayn on his lap so that no one could see what he was doing.

When the bell rung he closed his sketch book and lifted the strap to his bag not realizing that somehow it got caught under the leg of his chair. Niall went to stand up and sling it over his shoulder but the metal chair came with it hitting him in the back of the knee-his bad one-and he fell to the ground in a heap of curses.

The sketchbook went flying upwards as he tried to brace his fall and he barely got his hands out before his body crashed into the floor. Some kids laughed as he fell and made no move to even help him or spare him a glance and he groaned cause he really banged his knee hard on the carpeted yet still unforgiving floor. His bag had opened letting three large textbooks slide out including some pens and his other sketchbook he kept that was also filled with Zayn, he forgot to leave it at home once it was filled.

“Oh shit, you alright?” He heard a voice. He knew that voice even though it was almost as rare as a gemstone when you heard it. It was Zayn.

Niall began to scramble and quickly pick up his belongings thankful the one sketchbook wasn’t open so he stuffed it into his bag along with his chemistry and history books. He looked around on his knees, not daring to look up and saw Zayn was sitting on his feet holding it…his sketchbook open and Zayn’s eyes were scanning the page.

Niall’s fear spiked in the room and he saw that students for second period start to file in. He was frozen to the spot with his bag still open and him on his hands and knees looking at Zayn who had this quizzical furrow to his eyebrows. He turned two more pages before Niall realized that Zayn was now looking at sketches of himself drawn without his knowledge or consent.

He grabbed it from his hand as Zayn began to voice, “Is this…” but Niall was fast as a flash gripping it to his chest and bolting from the room. He didn’t hear anything as he ran-he was late already on top of Zayn knowing his secret pastime-so he didn’t hear his name being called by someone with coal black hair, bright brown eyes and on a mission to speak to him.

XXXX

Niall was sat in his usual place for lunch. By himself since Harry and Louis had theirs the period before and during the warmer months he sat under a nice cherry blossom tree that covered his head and body with pink shade. It was out here that he could be relaxed and calm and enjoy his meal in peace and basically do whatever he wanted.

This morning’s blunder was still weighing heavy on his mind and he was dreading having to see Zayn again tomorrow morning but he figured maybe nothing would happen and Zayn wouldn’t say anything or maybe he could just switch schools and avoid any chance of them seeing each other again.

He was actually finishing his sketch from this morning, sharpening the color of Zayn’s glasses when somebody was approaching. He figured it to be one of the kids that snuck out to their car to snog or go out in town for lunch seeing as his tree was nearest the gate with the hole cut in it.

He wasn’t paying any attention taking a bite of his sandwich then picking up the sketchbook again to notice that someone was standing next to the tree. He nearly choked hearing a throat being cleared and someone saying his name, “Niall?”

He looked up and his heart plummeted into his feet, it was Zayn above him. He looked heavenly with the sun just behind his head through the branches and his dark hair was such a contrast against the pink of the flowers that just coincided with the color of his lips. If Niall had the chance he’d like to draw Zayn from this angle in this light with this scenery but he obviously couldn’t.

He panicked and quickly stood up about to run until Zayn grabbed his arm, “Hey, don’t run. Please?”

His voice was timid and wary and gentle like Niall was a wild animal about to be captured. He sort of felt like one, like an abused cat being backed into a corner and all he could do was fight or flight. Niall was never a fighter in all his years.

“I’m not going to hurt you okay?”

The boy nodded. Zayn was being kind and gentle with him. He felt the boy’s hand warm through his long sleeved shirt and felt a gentle squeeze to it.

“Look I just wanted to talk to you.”

Niall gulped as he nodded again and watched Zayn take purchase against the tree and pat the grass at his side. He looked so lovely like this, his t-shirt was black but sort of billowy and his tight black jeans hugged his thin legs, the sun glinting off his teeth with his tongue pressed behind it.

He shakily sat down and watched as Zayn pulled out a pack of smokes and lit one up offering one to Niall who put his hand up in refusal. They sat there in silence for a moment or two as Zayn continued to smoke and Niall wasn’t hungry anymore putting the rest of his lunch into his bag, Zayn’s eyes shifted to the contents, “Can I see them?”

Niall stilled and turned his head to see Zayn worrying his bottom lip and he figured why the fuck not, he knows they’re there. He took a deep breath still not saying anything and handed him the newest sketchbook which only had ten or twenty in them so far. He had about fifteen completely filled at home.

Some would say it was creepy and disturbed that he kept drawing Zayn over and over. He’d say he was appreciating something magnificent. He handed over the book without a sound but a loud sigh because he figured this would only go one way.

Fucking south. He’d be viewed as this even weirder freak who liked to draw people without their knowledge and without even knowing them. He watched as Zayn went through them, pausing to look at a few for a few moments longer, Niall noticed he stopped on the one from this morning, the one from three days ago when Zayn was wearing a hoodie with no strings and the first one of this book, Zayn with his head down. You couldn’t see but the tip of his nose and the plane of his forehead and the peaks of his eyebrows but Niall drew it.

He added the detail of the bird tattoo on his hand, the way the fabric of his shirt rolled around his shoulders and biceps, the shadow cast by his head onto the desk. Niall was a stickler for detail and trying to immortalize Zayn on paper required every minute detail he could see.

“Wow.” Zayn breathed out closing the book. Niall waited for something to happen. To be hit was his first thought, Zayn would just haul back and sock him right in the jaw. Or be insulted over and over calling him weird and crazy and stalker-ish.

What he didn’t expect was Zayn’s response, “Why me?” He lit up a cigarette and looked over to Niall whose eyes were still focused on a ladybug crawling up a blade of grass.

He shrugged.

“I’m sorry if I scared you earlier. I was just surprised to see myself. I mean, that is me right? I don’t want you to think I’m some pompous ass who’s full of himself.” He chuckled slightly and Niall was itching to draw how the smoke curled out from his nostrils and between his half smile.

Niall shrugged again.

“Niall? I promise I’m not going to hurt you or anything, I’m just curious. Why were you drawing me? I’m nothing special.”

This time Niall raised his eyes to meet with big brown ones that were open and awaiting and welcome, “Cause you’re beautiful.”

Zayn’s eyes widened, “What?”

“Zayn, you’re beautiful. I’ve always thought that. Since I was twelve years old I’ve thought that. I know it’s weird and insane but I don’t know, I wanted to remember you for some reason and one day I just started drawing. I’m sorry if that freaked you out, I should uh, I should be going.” Niall made to stand but Zayn stopped him.

“Wait, please. Don’t go.” He pleaded with his eyes and a gentle squeeze to Niall’s wrist. He sat back down.

“No one’s ever called me beautiful before.” Zayn said lower with his eyes looking much more intent on his ciggie than it should have been. Niall scoffed at him.

“I’m serious. People have said I’m hot or whatever but I hate that shit, drives me mental.”

“Why? You’re attractive so why not use it to your advantage? You could have probably fucked half the school by now.” Niall was opening up and he wasn’t sure why. Maybe it was because Zayn did it first. Their first actual conversation.

“I don’t want to have fucked half the school. That’s not who I am. I wish you didn’t think of me like that.” He sounded sad and almost a little downtrodden, even disappointed.

“Oh no! No, I don’t think you’re like that at all. I’m sorry, it’s just…well not to sound like the next Jeffrey Dahmer but I’ve thought about you everyday Zayn. Nothing crazy or dirty like that.” He lied cause he had before but now was not the time. “But, I don’t know, you fascinate me. There’s something about you that keeps me hooked and like I want to know more.”

“Well why didn’t you ever speak to me? I’ve seen you looking more than once. I was hoping you’d at least say hi.” Flicking the ash onto the grass.

“Because I was scared to even try to do it. You’re intimidating.” He shrugged again and was actually surprised how easily this conversation was going. He only talked to Louis and Harry like this and this meaning an extended period of time without him blushing or scampering off.

“I intimidate you?”

“Yeah, you, I don’t know, have this other worldly presence about you. Been that way since I started going to school around here. You just have this air about you, like you know something nobody else does. Like you shouldn’t even be here really but you are, like you’re taking everything in one day at a time and processing it for something I couldn’t even think of.”

There was a bit of a silence. The flowers above his head rustled in the breeze and a few petals fell to rest into his hair and also Zayn’s. The darker boy began, “Are you intimidated right now?”

Niall nodded, “Yes, I’m fucking terrified right now.”

“Why? I’m not anything to be afraid of.”

“Yes you are Zayn. I don’t even know you, this is the longest we’ve ever spoke in six years and I’ve been dying to do this. Maybe not this exactly but to actually talk to you. Without ever knowing you I knew I wanted to. Wanted to understand you, wanted to know why you look so concentrated when reading something or why you wear glasses when you obviously don’t need to,” he pointed to Zayn’s glasses, he giggled slightly adjusting them on his face as Niall continued, “I’ve wanted to know why is it that even though you could probably be the most popular and wanted boy in this fucking place that you’re not.”

Zayn turned and the look of concentration came across his face, a look that Niall had put on paper many times before. He could map out the lines in his forehead and how one eyebrow moved closer than the other in his sleep.

“Well I look so concentrated when reading is because I’m probably not understanding what’s going on to be honest. Um, I just like wearing glasses sometimes and well, maybe I don’t want to be the most popular here. I’d rather just paint and smoke my cigs and read on the weekends then going out getting trashed all the time and being surrounded by fake people pretending to be my friend because I could offer them something.”

“That’s really why Liam’s my only friend. He doesn’t expect anything from me, just lets me do what I want to do.” Zayn shrugged and turned to Niall, “Still afraid of me?” He offered a crooked grin. The kind that made Niall’s heart flutter a bit.

“Not so much now, no.”

“Good, Niall seriously, I’m not as complex as you think I might be. I mean, if you think that. I’m just a normal teenage boy like you are.”

“M’not normal. I draw people who I’ve never talked to before because I fancy them without even knowing them.” He was ripping up his sandwich and tossing it to some random squirrels. His voice came out in a weird mumble not realizing what he actually said.

“And why isn’t that normal?”

“Ugh, because I’m just some stupid little boy who happens to fancy you and who is too chicken shit to actually fucking tell you so I sit in silence stealing glances and draw you.” He was angry at himself. Zayn was never supposed to know about his little secret but here he was, just letting it spill out.

“Well you just told me didn’t you?”

Niall turned his face and scowled slightly getting up but Zayn grabbed him again, “Wait! Niall please!”

“What! Is this fun for you? Do you enjoy watching the poor pathetic Irish kid basically fawn and stumble over his words because he can actually smell you next to him? Can fucking feel your handprint after you take it off? Jesus, I sound like a nutter. I’m not in love with you but god dammit I could very well be given time.”

“I’ve watched you Zayn, just like you’ve watched others, there’s so much going on in your head that I want to know. I want to be something to you and I have no idea why. Something about you, the way you talk when you actually do, the way your body moves, the way you hold yourself up just pulls me in and it’s been like that for years. I can’t explain what it is but for fucks sake Zayn, please don’t rub this in my face.”

He turned to walk away but was pulled back and spun around and felt Zayn’s lips slam into his. His eyes widened and he saw that Zayn’s were closed and his mouth was moving against his, he felt his tongue prod against his own mouth and he whimpered letting it enter.

Niall never kissed anyone before so he wasn’t exactly sure what to do but Zayn seemed to run the show and he just followed along letting the taller boy explore his mouth. It was extremely gentle and soon enough his eyes fluttered shut and he reveled in feeling and tasting Zayn. He tasted better than expected actually.

Too soon was the lip lock over and Zayn pulled away, Niall’s eyes fluttered open, “Wh-what was that for?”

Zayn chuckled and smiled slightly, “To get you to stop. Come on.” He pulled Niall back down to their previous spots and Niall wasn’t sure what to do. His lips were still tingling and they felt a bit puffier than before. Zayn lit up another smoke and this time Niall snagged one from his pack, Niall wasn’t a smoker.

They sat there just puffing along until Niall spoke, “Zayn please don’t take pity on me. You didn’t have to kiss me.”

“I know, wanted to.” He shrugged like it was the easiest thing to declare as he stretched his legs out and crossed them at the ankles.

“Why?”

“It’s like this; someone who saw me as I am and wanted to actually know me for who I really am, well I’m going to kiss them.” He took a long drag and blew a few “o” rings with the exhale.

“Saw you as you are?”

“Yeah, the way you drew me. You drew me exactly as you saw me. Every blemish, every hair, I mean everything. For someone to pay that much attention to detail on one thing has got to mean they really do appreciate it, like it, love it, whatever.” He waved his hand making the smoke shape strange in the air.

“So you don’t think it’s weird? Cause I mean, like I said, Zayn you’re absolutely beautiful. And that’s just physically. I know I don’t know you but I think you’re beautiful on the inside. You’re cautious with what you say as like, you think about how you’re going to get your message across. You watch people, feel them out so you know what kind of person they are before you even say hello. You’re also really kind, I can tell because the way you interact with Liam. He’s not very well liked around here, not sure why cause he’s really sweet, but you’re so damn nice to him and it’s genuine as well.” Niall took another drag.

“You do.”

“Do what?” He asked confused.

“Niall, you do know me. This may be the first time we’ve actually ever talked more than a “hello” or something but you know me better than most of the people I’ve ever met. Whether you knew it or not you’ve already been inside my head for a while and understand.” Zayn smiled softly at him.

Niall felt like being bold so he pulled out the other sketchbook that was filled to the brim with Zayn, “Can I show you something?”

“Sure.” Zayn turned his head against the bark of the tree watching as Niall flipped page after page.

“Here,” he handed over the open book with a sketch inside, “this is my favorite one of you.”

Zayn looked over the page to see a halfway side profile of him and he looked like he was laughing. The corner of his mouth pulled up high with his teeth showing, that day he wore his hair down and messy. The lines by his eyes were prominent and wispy on the paper. Niall drew his shoulders slightly hunched like Zayn knew happened when he did in fact laugh hard enough.

“That’s probably one of my favorites of you. Liam was telling a joke and personally I thought it was pretty funny but you really enjoyed it. At least I think you did, I wanted to get you actually laughing and I think I did.”

Niall bit his lip watching Zayn trace his fingers-ghosting-over the page, “Wow.”

“What? Is it alright?” Niall pondered to him. He knew that drawing someone and then having that person see it could end badly if they thought you made them look terrible.

“It’s fantastic. You see me like this?” He lifted up the paper showing Niall who had spent more hours looking at it then he could count.

“Yeah, everyday.”

“Niall you’re amazing.” Zayn smiled at him closing the sketchbook.

“Nah.” The boy blushed.

“No, seriously. And can I be honest?” Niall nodded and watched something like anxiety brush across Zayn’s immaculate features,” I’ve watched you too.” he bit his lip and for the first time ever, Niall saw Zayn actually look nervous. His earlier surveillance came to fruition seeing Zayn not look as cool and collected as he normally was.

“Huh?”

“Yeah, I’ve seen you look at me and wondered why you were. I mean people stare at people but the way you did it, I don’t know, it almost looked like you were ashamed to do it. Like you weren’t supposed to or weren’t allowed and I kept wondering why you looked at me like that.”

“I always wondered what you were thinking in class because you seemed to have more on your mind. You always seemed so contemplative like you were trying to work out life’s mysteries and honestly, I wanted to help you figure them out. You said you had this pull towards me, well the same could be said about you Niall. I’ve felt a pull since you came here. I just couldn’t really vocalize it; I’ve never been good with words.”

“Then you’d always have your nose in one of these books,” lifting up the black bound sketchbook, “and I wondered what you were drawing. I imagined it must have been some amazing things since you were always busy at work with them.”

“They are filled with amazing things.” Niall had no idea where that came from but he was feeling giddy and warm and gooey inside.

“And you’re so kind and honest and open even though you basically just met me. Jesus, Niall if anyone can see me like that and be as lovely as you are, I have no other choice.”

He leaned in and brought their lips together. Niall startled and much like the first kiss his eyes were open wide as Zayn’s were closed and Niall could see his long eyelashes resting against his cheekbones, the tiny bit of hair growing between his eyebrows, the small blemish high on his forehead.

He was even more beautiful up close. Niall melted into the kiss and timidly brought his hands up to tangle in the coal black locks and he was right, they were softer than silk. Zayn deepened the kiss and let his tongue part already puffy lips and one hand gripped Niall’s shoulder while the other grabbed his waist.

Once again the kiss was over too soon as the bell rang and the two jumped. Niall blushed again as Zayn scratched the back of his neck awkwardly, “So uh, can I call you?”

“If you’d like to?” Niall wasn’t really sure how this went so he was going with the flow.

“Yeah,” Zayn huffed out, “I’d really like to.” He smiled and this time it was wary, like everything hung in the balance of Niall’s decision. He didn’t need to actually make one since the answer was obvious.

He pulled out a blank sheet of paper from the newer sketchbook and wrote his number down on it handing it to Zayn. The other boy in turn ripped it in half and scribbled down his own number quickly giving it to Niall who still sat on the ground, “Here, I’ll text you later yeah?”

“Uh sure thing.” But before Niall could gather his things Zayn was crouched over with both his hands on either side of Niall’s head and brought their lips together one more time. It was gentle and slow with only the smallest amount of tongue play. Niall never wanted this to end. Sadly it did.

He was given three more soft touches to his mouth by Zayn’s until he muttered a “fuck” under his breath then pressed a quick kiss to him before turning and running into the building.

Niall was a half hour late to his chemistry class that day. Too stunned under the tree to move as he looked down to see Zayn’s messy scrawl with his number and ‘Zee xoxo’ after it.

XXXX

The two texted for the rest of the day and into the evening learning about each other and eventually it was Niall who called Zayn laying in bed.

“Hello? Ni?”

“Uh hey Zayn.”

“To what do I owe the pleasure?” He chuckled and Niall liked to believe he was in bed too.

“Just wanted to actually talk. Like we did earlier.”

“I’d like that.” Niall could hear Zayn smiling through the phone.

They talked and neither one was sure who fell asleep first but upon waking, Niall saw the phone call to Zayn lasted over eight hours, he had maybe gotten three hours of sleep altogether.

XXXX

When Niall walked into English he saw Zayn was already sitting next to Liam in his usual spot. Approaching the table he saw Liam beam at him, “Hiya Niall.”

“Uh hey Liam, alright?”

“Splendid, give me a mo.” And he watched Liam push his binder over across the table and lift his jacket from the back of the chair and place himself where Niall usually sat. He looked at Zayn confused.

The boy with those enchanting brown eyes rolled those eyes and motioned with his head to the empty seat next to him.

It dawned upon Niall and he blushed and definitely heard a small snicker from Liam. He also heard a muffled “ow!” come from him as Zayn’s leg shot out to knock him in the shin.

Once Niall got seated and comfortable Liam began speaking to him like they had known each other for years. They had but never really interacted and Niall found Liam to be quite pleasant.

Zayn watched as the two interacted and when Niall’s hand went down to scratch at his ankle it was stopped from coming back and resting on the desk by Zayn slipping his own into it. He tangled their fingers together and squeezed giving him a soft smile and joining the conversation like what was happening out of Liam’s view was private, intimate and sacred.

To Niall it was and he figured it was to Zayn as well.

For the first time in a long time, Niall’s sketchbook remained closed and unused that morning, no new sketch of Zayn wearing a tight white shirt with two silver chains adorning his neck and no sketch of how he shaved the night before, Niall could smell his Adidas cologne.

For the first time in a long time Niall couldn’t draw Zayn, the lovely boy next to him.

He couldn’t because his hand was a bit preoccupied being held by that same lovely boy who was rubbing circles into his skin with lazy strokes.

From then on Niall didn’t get to draw Zayn as often in the morning, his favorite time to draw him, but he did get to hold his hand every morning and figured that was better than anything he could put on paper.


End file.
